A Test of Spirit
by rey1119
Summary: When a wayward youth in bilgewater gets a face-full of Illaoi's religious beliefs, will he handle the test and stay in motion, or will he drown in Illaoi's overpowering presence?


On this quiet day, a small pub in a port town in Bilgewater was recovering form a very loud and very expensive party that had been thrown the night before. 'The Downed Drink' it was called, if you didn't know it was a pub you could be forgiven for thinking it was a derelict home but the drinks were good and the dedicated clientele were as friendly as they come in Bilgewater.

Rey was a twenty something guy who worked in The Downed Drink as a sort of cleaner and bar-back. He had currently been designated the task of cleaning the serving area of the bar, which consisted of only four tables, each of which seated only four chairs. The patrons last night came in as they always do, wet from fishing and smelling to the high seas but tonight they were celebrating some event or another and things spiraled out of control as the drinking started, eventually ending in a huge brawl. However, it was all in good spirits as they left the bar that night, bloody, smiling and arm in arm.

Rey was a thin man, not muscular to do any laborious tasks or even act as a guard, and guard duty was especially easy to get since nobody in Bilgewater wanted to be the one shot down by pirates next. Rey was sweating like mad by the time he had finished tidying the bar, dropping the dirty rag to the floor he sat in the seat next to the window, letting a cool, salty sea breeze blow over his tall, thin form. Suddenly, from outside the window he heard heavy footsteps, each one louder than the last until suddenly the door burst open, a few splinters of wood flying weightlessly to the other side of the bar.

A very tall woman stood in the doorway, her dark skin marked her as an islander but her most striking feature was her incredible tattoos. Rey looked up at the woman, she had remarkable muscles and wild brown hair in a ponytail and the most beautiful green eyes he thought could ever exist. She looked around the bar with a smile and her eyes rested on him, and she seemed to stifle a laugh.

"Boy, I would like a drink," She said. Rey stared for a moment then jumping up from his table, he hopped the bar and stammered, "W-w-what would you like, um miss?" He held down the 'miss' so she would tell him her name, but she just laughed. She laughed a hearty full laugh that made Rey start laughing a little too. As she came down from her laugh, she leaned on the bar and her bright green eyes met his. "I want you to hit me has hard as you can." She said, a small grin on her face but dead seriously.

Rey was about to ask her why, but she headed off the question with one of her own. "I'm no fool toothpick, I can tell you like what you see, and if you want something you take it." She finished by putting her gigantic metallic Idol she had brought in down on the floor and opening her arms wide in a challenging stance. Rey never thought that we was especially weak, he could lift the full barrels of alcohol for storage in the back, he wasn't muscular though. It was with some trepidation that he hopped back over the bar and stood in front of her. She still stood with her arms wide open and he steeled himself. The next moment happened so quickly, he had to run back over the events that unfolded in his mind.

First Rey took his swing, his fist connected squarely with her jaw but she didn't fall, she didn't even move. The very next second she had brought her fist around and it connected with his jaw on the left side and he felt the ground leave from under him as he flew through the air and connected with the wall on the other side of the bar, and he fell back to the floor painfully landing on his stomach. He lifted his head to look at the woman. She had taken a tanker of beer, the entire tanker and thrown it onto her shoulder as she picked up her metal idol with the other hand.

"I want, I take," she explained as she turned to leave the bar. "Become strong child, strong enough to take what you desire, Nagakabouros demands it." And she left Rey on the floor, defeated but inspired.


End file.
